2.0 firmware is here NOW

spb_stan

Senior Member
I downloaded the 2.0 firmware from Nikon USA Web site at about 2am their time and updated my Z6. All the speculation is over....it really works .
The tracking is faster and in much lower light. Burst mode H is useful now that there is good frame to frame consistency and it focuses at l least 2 stops low light at 2.8 than a D800 and 1 stop Lower than a D850. I left the house before trying eye focus because no one was at home with eyes. I tried it while out at the Hermitage Museum getting tickets for a tour group and it did not appear to work. But experimenting with it at lunch taking a photo of my favorite waitress in low light where her face was very dark and there was a strong back light....a very difficult shot. 1/60 200 mm f2.8 ISO 24,000 eye focused dead on without me positioning the FP. Very impressive.
Well Done Nikon
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I downloaded the 2.0 firmware from Nikon USA Web site at about 2am their time and updated my Z6. All the speculation is over....it really works .
The tracking is faster and in much lower light. Burst mode H is useful now that there is good frame to frame consistency and it focuses at l least 2 stops low light at 2.8 than a D800 and 1 stop Lower than a D850. I left the house before trying eye focus because no one was at home with eyes. I tried it while out at the Hermitage Museum getting tickets for a tour group and it did not appear to work. But experimenting with it at lunch taking a photo of my favorite waitress in low light where her face was very dark and there was a strong back light....a very difficult shot. 1/60 200 mm f2.8 ISO 24,000 eye focused dead on without me positioning the FP. Very impressive.
Well Done Nikon
Thanks for posting, now let's see that waitress. :)
 

Danno

Senior Member
Just downloaded the update moments ago. No one here with eyes but me and my dog. Visiting Mom, Sister and Nephew should be here soon. Mom HATES getting her photo taken... ;)
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
Update on the Z6 version 2.0 firmware.
After playing with it in the dark I can say positively that it not focuses better in very dark conditions (1/2second, 51,000 ISO, f/1.8) that it definitely outperforms the D850. The shots were taken in a blackened room where I could not see the subject.The EVF however boosted gain automatically so I saw a grainy nightscope appearing image, pressed AF-on and the focus snapped to focus without any hunting. The image was bad with grain but in focus!

An experienced pro wildlife photographer friend tried his out on some birds of prey and he was amazed, it tracked very well and he said probably better than his D850 and posted some photos, all sharp with crops.
It really feels like a different camera.
My only complaint about the Z6 has been it does not trigger the external flash near infrared focus assist light so in dark events where flash is used, focusing has been poor before the flash fires. No mirrorless triggers those assist lights. If I start to AF with a flash mounted on a DSLR, the red patterned light allows fast focus by the Z cameras. When I shoot dance clubs the light is really poor and flash is needed. But with this update, it is going to work without any focus assist..
The sense of speed of focus lock without hunting is quite strong. It is purely subjective but it sure feels fast. About twice the speed of my D800 which I never felt was too slow for my subjects.
Face detect is faster and lockon tighter even at a great distance but if close enough to detect it is an eye, it locks on quickly and follows even as they turn away and back, or walk across the frame. I did not care about Eye AF since focusing on eyes was never a problem using AF-S but AF-C was not tracking eyes, just faces so a narrower aperture was used to make sure the DOF was deep enough to get both tip of nose and eyes in focus. Now it is a choice of eyes. Every eye in the scene is detects and the multi-selection can cycle through to to focus on any of them. In non-studio portraits, I usually shoot with very shallow DOF to isolate the subject but in the studio where subject isolation is not needed, shooting 5.6 or 8 is common for optimum sharpness with F mount lenses but the Z mount S lenses are just as sharp wide open as stopped down. Eye AF will be a help there.
 

Danno

Senior Member
I only had a chance to try it a bit last night. Mom, my sister and nephew were all in town and I took some photos in a poorly lit room with eye detect on and was amazed at the quickness with which it locked on. I was threatened with my life if I posted any of the results but I will say that the progression was very interesting.

The camera quickly squired my mom's face with the face detect and just as quickly it went to eye detect. I was surprised at how quickly it all occurred. I have taken photos in that room before and the face detect always worked but never as quickly. I shot continues moving around the room. Mom is not so big at moving around and I was quite pleased.

I know that this is all anecdotal results, but I am pleased and I could see marked improvement in squiring and holding on a subject in low light.

I am going to my nephews wedding tomorrow night. That should be the test. No, I do not do weddings but I am good at staying out of the photographers way when I take my shots. I also ask them before hand if they have any issues.

I do not know if I have said this before but I like this camera a lot.
 

Daz

Senior Member
I got to play with this last week (having contacts is great) and when I played with it on my camera I had the same problem... Its locking on the Eyelash and not the eye, i shoot wide open at 1.8 or 1.4 which means that it is out of focus on the eye ... This is a little annoying and I will be speaking to my contact tomorrow to see if he knows of a fix that will be coming.

Whilst I know I can fine tune the lenses, I dont want to go down that route.
 
Top